"Why did you stop?" she asked with a slight whine to her voice, and his lips twitched. Hell, yeah, they were on the same page.
"We have a road trip to take," he whispered hoarsely against her mouth and felt her lips move up into a smile.
"Or we could stay here," she suggested, and he breathed in deeply, his hands moving out of her hair, sliding toward her jaw.
Without overthinking it, her laid it out for her, "That is the most tempting offer I have received in my thirty-two years."
"But?" she asked as she tried to get out of his hold, but he carefully kept her in place, one hand leaving her face and moving around her waist, landing on the small of her back.
"I think you have the wrong impression of me and what I want here," he shared.
"Which is?" she asked slowly, cautiously, and his eyes landed on her neck. Her pulse point was beating furiously. He smiled gently at her.
"You have the idea that I'm some kind of player."
"Aren't you?" she challenged, and he really liked that she didn’t shy away when she wanted to know something.
"No," he answered her honestly and without hesitation. "I like you, Carrie. A lot. I like talking to you, and I can say without a doubt I really liked kissing you."
"Oh." She blushed, and he liked that too. Fuck, he seemed to like everything about her.
"We should head out." He leaned forward, giving her a small kiss before pulling away, and he liked the way her face had gone soft and almost wistful.
She was so damn beautiful, but the moment her eyes fluttered open, almost slowly, his heart constricted in his chest. She was more than beautiful. She was breathtaking. Looking at her, the light hitting her eyes just perfectly, causing a slight tint of green in her bright blues, it was like a switch had been turned on.
Sure, he knew before this what he felt for her was more than a crush. But he was utterly and completely gone for her. He knew he was jumping ten steps forward and getting carried away, but it didn't frighten him at all. His grandfather always told him that when he met his grandmother at fifteen, he had known she was it for him and had spent the next seventy years making sure she knew it every single day.
"Joel?" She tilted her head and he knew. She was his one. "Will you finally tell me where we are going?" she asked him. Before answering her, he kissed her forehead.
"We’re going to one of my favorite places in the world.” He winked at her, enjoying the way her eyes widened, setting with playful suspicion. “Hope Falls," he shared, her gaze now glittered with curiosity. Before he could get swept up in her beauty and need to kiss her again, he bent and grabbed her duffel bag in one hand while he intertwined his fingers of his free one with hers before leading her to his car.
Chapter Five
Carrie
Hope Falls, California, she thought to herself with a smile. When they had stopped at a gas station, she had taken her phone out of her purse and googled the city. Hope Falls looked to be a small town located in the Sierra Nevada mountains, about an hour, give or take, outside of Lake Tahoe. When he had returned with a bag full of ice, she noticed the ice chest in the back seat of his king cab truck, filled with road trip snacks and goodies. He hadn’t been kidding about them having to pack an overnight bag.
The car ride had been interesting to say the least; not that she had expected anything less from the man who sat beside her. They had done the usual small talk, during which her nerves of being in a small space with him had quickly faded away, much to her delight, and she had grown comfortable with him. The need to fill every moment with mindless chatter didn’t strike; if anything, the pockets of silence between them had been even enjoyable. She had used those moments to collect her own thoughts as she studied him.
Though anytime her eyes were on him, one thing was clear to her. He was hot. Her gaze moved from his furry jaw down to his hand on the steering wheel, and she liked how comfortable he seemed. Comfortable in his own body, his own skin; comfortable in who he was. She kind of envied that about him. Heck, she admired it.
“What are you thinking about?” he asked, glancing over at her for a long second before looking away, his eyes settling on the road.
"Tell me about yourself," she blurted, the need to know more about the man she was with burning in her gut.
Sure, they knew little things about one another, other than the undeniable, crystal-clear attraction between them. Hell, she had all but mauled him in her doorway. Her lips threatened to fall into a full-blown smile at the memory of how he’d walked right up to her and how at the last moment his lips had hovered over hers, and Carrie had known there was no way she could have fought the temptation he served up on a silver platter. Her lips tingled as she thought about their kiss while she kept watching him drive them to this mystery small town.
"What do you want to know?" he asked, his voice like a thick blanket, deep and comforting.
"Everything," she answered, ignoring the warning bells ringing in her head. She knew better than to wear her heart on her sleeve, but it seemed it was something she wasn't capable of avoiding around him.
"Everything, huh?" His lips twitched.
"Where did you grow up?" she specified, ready to ask the next of the million questions bubbling up.
"What makes you think I've grown up?" he joked and shook his head. "Everywhere." His mouth was set in a full smile. Her heart warmed at the sight of him. God, he had a great smile. "My dad was in the air force, so we moved quite a bit."
"Is that how you found Hope Falls?" she asked, curious about the small city he claimed was one of his favorite places in the world. He had made comments during their small conversations in the past that made it seem he was well traveled.
"Not exactly,” he hesitated and sighed. “My mom tried to be a military wife. She gave it her all, but she couldn't handle him being gone all the time. All the moving. Never having her family close. All of that started to weigh heavily on her, so when I was around thirteen, my mom asked… no, she pleaded with him to not re-enlist," he shared, and she almost regretted having asked.
By his tone she knew his story wouldn’t have a happy ending. She protectively settled her hand over his thigh, hoping he understood she was there for him. He looked at her and surprised her when he kept sharing. "Anyhow, my dad, he was always stubborn and hardheaded. He re-enlisted without a second thought, and the very next day, she asked for a divorce." Silence fell between them for a small moment where she wasn’t sure what to say, but he kept talking.
"I don't think he actually thought she would do anything. Especially not something that drastic." He shrugged, and she wondered how that had changed him. He acted like he didn’t care, but she knew exactly how something like uncertainty shaped you.
"But she did." Carrie couldn't help but say almost to herself, wondering about his mother. How much strength and courage that must have taken. How his mother’s heart must have broken all for her to give her children a steadier world.
"She did. She wanted her kids to grow roots. A lot like they did growing up. You know, one high school, a home that was built on memories. Something steady, she always used to say."
"I can understand that." His eyes met hers, and Carrie knew she had shown a lot of herself in that small statement.
"Once it was all final, we settled a couple towns over from Hope Falls, a place called Whispering Springs."
"Wow.” She worried her lip trying to think of something to lighten the mood. “Is it mandatory for all the towns there to have pretty names?" she joked, and he smiled at her
"Probably." He smirked, his eyes on the road.
"I'm sorry for asking something so stupid. I didn't—" she started to apologize, regretting how personal her stupid question had made things. Not that she didn’t want to know. She did. She just hated that it brought back sad memories for him.
"Carrie." He looked at her, switching hands on the steering wheel so he could cover the one that was still resting on his thick, muscular, and very warm thigh. Joel
was like a furnace, exuding precious body heat. "I wouldn't have shared if I didn't want to." His gaze went back to studying the somewhat slightly windy roads, but her eyes were glued to him as he kept speaking. "I want you to know me. When it comes to you, I'm an open book. You can ask anything. And I can only hope that you want me to get to know you just as well."
Silence filled the cab of the truck after his words settled within her. He was an open book to her. Why? She knew exactly why. She had never been the type of woman to lie to herself, and she wouldn’t start now. It was the same reason she wanted to do the same thing for him. She knew he was a good guy, despite the dangerous air of a man who knew was all man and knew exactly how to make a woman’s head turn. And just like that she was left feeling slightly confused as to who he was. Her original assumption of Joel Vega as a player or a bad boy was quickly diminishing. She liked him, genuinely liked him as a man, and it was no longer solely based on the sexual attraction that sparked like a live wire whenever they were together.
She could see herself getting in over her head over him. It terrified her.
She opened and closed her mouth a time or two, but couldn't get herself to say anything. And as if he could sense her difficulty at communicating, he simply picked up the hand that was still perched on his thigh, gently moving it up to his lips, and kissed the edges of her knuckles. A gesture that was so simple but full of something more. Something she had never had but had always wanted. She suddenly found it difficult to breathe. Hands still joined, he dropped them back on his thigh, keeping her close, his thumb calmly stroking the skin of the tops of her fingers as he drove. She swallowed hard.
Looks were deceiving when it came to Joel Vega. He might have been the walking definition of tall, dark, and handsome, a complete bad boy, but there was a lot more to him that met the eye.
"Look, there's snow," he pointed out, giving her a reprieve, and she took it.
Looking out the passenger side window at the snow, white and pure on the side of the road, she breathed in deeply. Giddiness and hope bubbled up and around her at the possible turn her life might take with Joel by her side.
***
An hour later, she read Bluebird Road on the street sign as she stared out the window wide-eyed, and a giggle escaped as they drove up Bluebird Road.
"Oh my God,” she whispered as she looked around at the quiet streets and smiling people that walked around. "Is this place real?" she asked out loud. The deepness of his chuckle filled the cab.
"It's like a movie set, right?"
"That's one way of putting it." Carrie’s eyes widened even more as she took in the beautiful architecture of the Hope Falls Twin Cinemas. "It feels like we went back in time."
"I love it here. I have a cabin right outside the city." That surprised her and made her think about what he had planned for the day and if he would take her to his place. Of course, he would. Right? There was no way they could take that long drive back tonight.
"You do?" she asked trying to keep her voice steady.
"Yeah." He nodded, his thumb stroking her fingers soothingly, which somehow, even though his touch calmed her, it also sent a shiver down her spine. She liked how he touched her. It made a team of wild butterflies dance inside of her.
"Real estate is always a great investment," she commented, feeling like a complete idiot at how lame she sounded. Her deluded thoughts were getting in the way of making good conversation.
"It is. I have my place in LA and the cabin. Though I got the cabin more so that I could be close to my mom when I visit but have my own space if I want to stay longer than say, a day." She couldn’t help but like that about him. It wasn’t the first time he had alluded to enjoying being around his family.
"Your mom still lives in the area?" she asked even though he’d just answered it. She tried to look away, but her eyes kept going back on him.
"Yeah, about thirty minutes north. My sister and her kids live with her."
"You mentioned siblings. How many of you guys are there?" she asked just as he pulled into a parking spot on Main Street before turning off the truck.
He looked at her, giving her a sexy, toothy grin. "Four," he answered before he slid out of the truck and she looked at where he had been.
"Four?" she repeated to herself, wondering if they all looked like him.
She bent to grab her purse, and just as her hand was about to touch the handle to get out, the door opened and there he stood. Even with her sitting in his giant truck and him standing in front of her, she had to look slightly up to meet his eyes.
"Three boys and a girl," Joel explained, and she blinked, trying to think of how awesome that would have been, growing up with built-in best friends.
"What was that like?" she asked, once again revealing little bits of herself to him. His hand touched her face tenderly.
"Loud." Loud? She laughed and shook her head. He was a nut.
"And your mom raised you guys on her own from when you were thirteen?"
"She had help from my grandparents and my aunt, but yeah." He leaned in closer until his lips touched her forehead, her heart wobbling slightly as whatever was left of her protective shell slipped away. He helped her down, and she buttoned up her sweater. The air was colder than it had been at home.
"Where do you fall in the four?"
"Oldest."
"Wow.” Though she wasn’t surprised. She could see him being the oldest. The protector of the bunch.
"Yeah," he mumbled a moment before his hand found hers. It was almost a shy touch at first, which itself took her off-guard. He always seemed so confident and sure of himself. But as the edge of his pinky finger skimmed the top of her fingers as if shyly searching for her hand, the butterflies that had started to calm down started back up again, sending a slight thrill up her back.
"You hungry?" he asked as his hand finally took a hold of hers, their eye contact never breaking, and she saw something in his eyes that excited her.
Staring down at the way he held her hand, she felt her heart warm over. He had massive hands, which made sense, he was a big guy, but it was more than that. For someone with hands his size, you would assume his touch would be rough or clumsy, but it was the opposite. His tan, calloused hand engulfed hers, his warmth making Carrie’s heart stutter in her chest, the combination of it making her feel delicate and supremely feminine. All from just holding his hand.
"Carrie?"
"What?" she asked trying stop her sappy, nonsensical thoughts.
"Hungry?" he asked again.
“Starving," she responded and felt the rush of heat hit her face at the tone and double-entendre her response could be interpreted as.
"Well, umm…" He cleared his throat. "Good for you, I have the perfect place." He pointed forward, and her eyes followed.
Sue Ann's Cafe had a bright and happy yellow awning out in the front over its door. Carrie smiled. "That has to be the cutest diner I have ever seen!" She beamed looking up at him and liked the way he smiled with his eyes.
"Come on." He tugged her hand and she followed him.
When he opened the door for her, she slid in and stopped in her tracks as she took in the space. The tables had mismatched table clothes, yet all of it just went beautifully together. The walls were dotted with news articles and photographs of people. But it was the shelves on the back wall that caught her eye. What looked like crafts and mementos lined each shelf as if each and every one had been placed there with the utmost care.
"Joel?" a woman wearing an apron called, and Carrie stood silently as she watched her approach. "Joel Vega, as I live and breathe!"
"Kelly King." He grinned and stepped forward to give the woman a hug. Carrie stiffened. The woman was older than Joel. Curvy with teased-out hair and a little more makeup than Carrie would have put on during the afternoon. She was beautiful.
"I just saw your momma last week! Is she coming with you too?" she asked, and Joel simply shook his head.
"No, I'm actually here on
a date."
"A date? Here?" the woman asked and looked around him, her eyes widening and a huge smile washing over her as she spotted Carrie. "Oh my goodness! Aren't you pretty! Nice to you meet you. I’m Kelly."
"Hi. Carrie.” She put her hand out and grasped Kelly’s warm one while she met the bubbly waitress’ sincere smile.
“Well, aren't you two adorable next to one another. Joel always did have great taste."
"Kelly," Joel groaned, and the woman laughed wholeheartedly.
"You should have seen him as a little pre-teen. Stars in his eyes over me," Kelly shared with a playful wink.
"What can I say, Kelly, you were the prettiest girl I’d ever seen," he pointed out with a shrug, and the woman laughed, playfully shoving Joel.
"Such a charmer. Come on then. I will get you two a table." Joel grabbed Carrie’s hand as they followed the woman carrying two menus. "I used to babysit him," the curvy waitress cleared up, and Carrie pressed her lips together to stop herself from giggling at the cute image that popped up in her head. The cute little boy he must have been. "Anytime I was over there, he would follow me around like a puppy. Making me PB & Js to go."
"Why didn't we go eat at The Cove?" Joel remarked as if asking himself, and Kelly stuck her tongue out at him. "You should have seen him, Carrie. All skin and bones, but so dang cute. Though never in a million years would I have thought he would become all this." Kelly pointed at Joel with the menus in hand.
"Skin and bones?" Carrie asked looking at Joel and not being able to picture it.
"I was really thin," he explained then kept on sharing, "And nerdy. Really, really nerdy," he clarified, but she couldn't imagine it. He was so big and strong. And even though Carrie knew Joel worked in software development, she had never thought of him as nerdy. Not once.
Hope Falls: Carried Away (Kindle Worlds Novella) Page 3
